§ 67. Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement outlining the progress made in securing reforms in the Common Market during the summer adjournment.
§ Mr. RifkindAs my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister told my hon. Friend the Member for Southend, East (Mr. Taylor) on 23 October, at column 538, considerable progress has been made towards resolving the outstanding budget issues. At the Foreign Affairs Council on 2–3 October member states reaffirmed their 243W commitment to paying the United Kingdom's abatement for 1984 on the revenue side of the budget in 1985 as agreed at Fontainebleau. The Council also concluded an inter-governmental agreement covering the Community's inescapable financial obligations for 1984. The United Kingdom made it clear that its contribution to this arrangement depended upon release of our 1983 refunds and agreement on a budget discipline text which implements the conclusions of the European Council. Work to complete this text, and the text of the new own resources decision, is continuing. The European Parliament voted on 10 October to release the United Kingdom's refunds for 1983.